Missouri Open 2015 - An Attempt at a Critique of all Real Knowledge
Questions by Will Alston, Itamar Naveh-Benjamin, Shan Kothari, Rohith Nagari, and Ewan Macaulay Packet 11
TOSSUPS
1. Troop deployments at this battle relied on a bridge over the Bormida river. General Anton von Zach was
captured at this battle after three brigades of grenadiers were routed by François Kellermann’s cavalry charge, though Louis Desaix was shot off his horse during the process. The crushing of Michael von Melas’ armies at
this battle eventually forced the (*) signing of the Treaty of Lunéville, which ended the War of the Second Coalition. For 10 points, name this battle in which Napoleon drove the Austrians out of northern Italy.
ANSWER: Battle of Marengo
2. The speaker of one of this author’s poems “laughed and laughed into the sky, / Till at my throat a strangling sob / Caught fiercely.” When another of this poet’s speakers was only “knee-high,” he was told: “There’s nothing in the house / But a loaf-end of rye”, and an (*) object with a “woman’s head” that “Nobody
will buy.” The speaker of another of this author’s poems delights in an object that “gives a lovely light!” For 10 points, name this author of “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver,” whose poem “First Fig” opens: “My candle burns at both ends.”
ANSWER: Edna St. Vincent Millay
3. An artist from this country painted scenes of bourgeois and future revolutions inside a Polyforum located in its capital. Charles Darwin and a broken statue of Jupiter appear at the left of a painting from this country whose center shows a worker looking up at a huge machine. The painter of (*) The March of Humanity was from
this country, as was an artist whose work Nelson Rockefeller had destroyed over a depiction of Lenin. Man at the Crossroads was painted by an artist from - for 10 points - what home country of muralists David Siqueiros and Diego Rivera?
ANSWER: Mexico [or United Mexican States; or Estados Unidos Mexicanos] 4. In Dzogchen, one of these phenomena may be observed around the dead body of someone who has
achieved bodhi. Ezekiel’s “wheel within a wheel vision” compares the radiance of God to these phenomena,
one of which is created in Genesis 9. Borlung, Ngalyod, and Yingarna are names for a creature (*) named for
these phenomena that created law during the Dreamtime. Alfred Radcliffe-Brown named the serpent worshipped by Aborigines after - for 10 points - what symbol put in the sky by God to symbolize the covenant after Noah’s flood?
ANSWER: rainbows [accept Rainbow Serpents; prompt on “covenant”]
5. This country was the site of a settlement on “Beautiful Hill” led by the preacher Anthony the Counselor.
This country’s late 19th-century politics were dominated by bosses called colonels. The Prestes column marched during the second of two rebellions in this country led by officers called tenentes. This country,
where the (*) Canudos War was fought, underwent a period of “coffee and milk politics” until a revolution that led to
the creation of Petrobras. For 10 points, identify this country whose Estado Novo was led by Getulio Vargas. ANSWER: Federative Republic of Brazil [or Republica Federativa do Brasil]
6. The only known example of a phi bond has been observed in a diatomic form of this element. A CO2 laser is used in the Silex process to separate isotopes of this element, whose acetate is commonly used as a negative
stain in electron microscopy. Lead-206 is the (*) final product in a nuclear decay chain that begins with this element,
processing of whose ores involves an intermediate known as yellowcake. Gaseous centrifugation of this element’s
hexafluoride can separate its 235 and 238 isotopes. For 10 points, name this radioactive element with symbol U.
ANSWER: Uranium [or U before mention] 7. In most Bantu languages, there are few root words of this type and these words comprise a generally closed
class only added to through derivation. The phrase “rather interested in that” is an example of a head-medial
phrase named for these words. In English, archaic and poetic use accounts for much postpositive use of these
words, as in “this is the (*) forest primeval.” In Romance languages, these words agree in number, gender, and case
with the words they modify and come after them. For 10 points, identify these words that describe some quality of a noun.
ANSWER: adjectives
8. This writer described a fellow poet’s eye as “the spark that shakes the wire” and which “makes all things quiver with the past.” This poet asked, “Is it all real? Is it time now to drift away?” in “The End,” the last section of a poetry collection that opens with, “In Memory of the Demon,” and is titled (*) My Sister - Life. The
title character of a novel by this author falls in love with a woman who shot Komarovsky at a Christmas party. For 10
points, name this Russian author who wrote about Lara’s relationship with Yuri in the novel Doctor Zhivago.
ANSWER: Boris Pasternak 9. A king of this name ordered all bridges to be fortified to prevent Viking raids in the Edictum Pistense. Notker the Stammerer collected anecdotes about a ruler of this name who created the Spanish March after his son captured Barcelona. A king with this name received the westernmost lands of his father in the (*) Treaty of
Verdun. A king known as “the Bald” had this name, as did a ruler who employed Alcuin of York and Einhard and made
his court at Aachen. For 10 points, give the name of the man crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III in 800.
ANSWER: Charles [or Carolus; accept Charlemagne or Carolus Magnus] 10. One of these particles arises as a solution to the Seiberg-Witten equations while another one of them was
the first solution to the Yang-Mills field equations. Bogomol’nyi names the lower bound for the mass of these
particles, which come in Wu-Yang and (*) t’Hooft-Polyakov varieties and can be considered uncharged dyons.
According to Dirac, quantization of charge follows from these particles’ existence, which would also invalidate Gauss’s
law for magnetism. For 10 points, name these unobserved hypothetical particles consisting of either a north or south pole.
ANSWER: magnetic monopoles 11. After being denied immediate entry into a castle, this figure threatens to place a curse bringing miscarriages to all of the pregnant women within. This figure gives a golden ring to a shepherd who owns a
fire-breathing hound. This figure’s cousin aids him in retrieving a comb and a pair of scissors from between
the ears of a giant (*) boar as part of a series of tasks to win the hand of Ysbaddaden’s daughter. For 10 points, name
this cousin of King Arthur who, after rejecting his stepsister, was cursed to marry none but the beautiful Olwen.
ANSWER: Kilhwch [or Culhwch] 12. In Morocco, smen is a form of this substance that is buried in the ground for a few months. In Tibet, tea containing this substance, known as po cha or cha suma, is a popular drink. Biochemically, its production involves changing a fat-in-water emulsion to a water-in-fat by (*) rupturing lipoprotein membranes surrounding fat
globules. Hollandaise contains egg yolk, lemon juice and this ingredient. A clarified form of this food is known in India as ghee. For 10 points, name this dairy product you can spread on toast.
ANSWER: butter or ghee [prompt on “fat”] 13. Description acceptable. Felix de Weldon made a wax model of this image which he later used as the basis
for a memorial he designed. Ira Hayes descended into alcoholism thanks to the fame given him by this “gung- ho” photograph, which was taken as its creator turned around, though for a half-century it was charged that
this photograph was (*) staged. This photo taken by Joe Rosenthal depicts six men, only three of whom lived through the year, on top of Mount Suribachi. For 10 points, name this iconic WWII photo showing a flag being raised during a Pacific battle.
ANSWER: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima [accept anything involving a flag and Iwo Jima] 14. Criticism of the holder of this position is still prohibited by lèse-majesté laws as of a 2007 constitution. Implicit disloyalty to this state-heading position was a major criticism of the late 2000s anti-aristocracy “Red
Shirt” movement. A proclamation issued by a holder of this position put (*) Yingluck Shinawatra into office.
Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government propaganda is based on loyalty to this position’s holder. Members of the Chakri
dynasty control - for 10 points - what monarchical position, whose holder Rama IX governs from Bangkok?
ANSWER: King of Thailand [or King of Siam from old-timey people]
15. As a child, this novel’s protagonist pretends to hide from “Red Indians” in a pillow fort. After returning to
school from a bout of scarlet fever, the protagonist discovers his friend Rose has acquired a new best friend. At
this novel’s end, the protagonist’s Uncle William dies at the Blackstable estate. The protagonist attempts to
patch up his relationship with the (*) syphilitic Mildred Rogers before eventually marrying Sally Athelny. Dr. Jacobs operates on Philip Carey’s clubfoot in – for 10 points – what novel by William Somerset Maugham?
ANSWER: Of Human Bondage 16. This man’s views on being and truth are the first of three critiques of the concept of structure presented in
Jacques Derrida’s “Structure, Sign, and Play.” This thinker identified free will and confusing cause and effect
as two of four great errors of philosophy. This thinker ascribed decadence to the thought of (*) Socrates because
it opposed life-affirmation, a process by which humans question all impediments to their “will to power.” For 10 points,
identify this thinker who punned on Wagner with the title Twilight of The Idols and wrote The Gay Science.
ANSWER: Friedrich Nietzsche 17. An unofficial team of this sport called the Cavaliers was created for a single game of it in 1986. A planned
match of this sport prompted protests against Robert Muldoon’s government since it may have violated the
Gleneagles Agreement. Eminent Victorians profiles Thomas Arnold, who headed the (*) school where this sport
was invented. Players of this sport introduced the traditional haka dance from Maori culture to popular audiences. The Springboks and All-Blacks are teams in - for 10 points - what football sport popular in the Commonwealth?
ANSWER: rugby union 18. Viscin threads and the formation of dyads and tetrads increase the efficiency of this process. Bakerian mimicry cheats organisms that help perform this function, which are attracted by pseudocopulatory structures in Pouyannian mimicry. In anemophilous organisms, this process is promoted by (*) wind. This process’s
namesake substance is transported from the anther to the stigma of the pistil, often with the help of insects like butterflies or bees. For 10 points, name this transport of male gametes that precedes fertilization in plants.
ANSWER: pollination [accept word forms; prompt on “fertilization” until “namesake substance”]
19. A piece by this composer has the horn player produce a four-note chord via multiphonics. This non-
Hummel composer’s Bassoon Concerto in F major is the second-most performed one after Mozart’s. A spooky
crescendo of clarinets and tremolo strings opens a scene by this composer that depicts a conversation with a
(*) demon in a forest. Hector Berlioz orchestrated one of this man’s piano pieces for an opera where Max sees the
casting of magic bullets in the Wolf’s Glen. For 10 points, name this composer of Invitation to the Dance and Der Freischütz.
ANSWER: Carl Maria von Weber
20. This river names the larger of the two known species of dwarf crocodile. Three portage rail lines are used to transport around impassable sections of this river, such as a stretch beginning at Matadi. Near Inga falls along
this river, the world’s most dangerous rapids can be found. The Virunga Mountains along the (*) Albertine rift
separate this river’s drainage basin from that of the Nile. The Lualaba feeds into this river, along which lies Livingstone
Rapids. For 10 points, what river names countries with capitals Brazzaville and Kinshasa?
ANSWER: Congo River [or Zaire River] 21. Obi Okonkwo receives six lash strokes to his buttocks for writing a naive letter to this person in No Longer at Ease. The protagonist of another novel grows a beard and wears dark glasses to gain credibility when
lecturing about this person. The “Iceland Understanding” is signed between Charles (*) Lindberg and this
person in Philip Roth’s novel The Plot Against America. For 10 points, name this historical leader studied by Professor
Jack Gladney in Don DeLillo’s novel White Noise, whose own writings include Mein Kampf.
ANSWER: Adolf Hitler 22. In a flashback in this movie, a car rolls backwards into the tail of a model dinosaur. Characters in this movie are irritated by the jingle from a Tripledent Gum commercial. The collapse of islands like Family and
Hockey is caused by the loss of (*) core memories in this movie. One character uses Bing Bong’s magic wagon to
escape the Memory Hole. In the frame story, Riley plans to run away after her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. For 10 points, name this 2015 Pixar movie that shows emotions like Disgust, Joy, and Sadness in the mind of a girl.
ANSWER: Inside Out 23. This concept titles a 1954 book chronicling political activism in the Gold Coast written by Richard Wright.
This two-word concept was suggested as a replacement for “Freedom Now!” after James Meredith was shot
on the March Against Fear during the speech that popularized this concept given by (*) Stokely Carmichael.
During the 200-meter dash medal ceremony, two athletes made a gesture symbolizing this concept at the 1968 Olympics. A raised fist symbolizes - for 10 points - what two-word political slogan for African-American strength? ANSWER: Black Power [do not accept or prompt on anything else]
24. Data with a geometric distribution optimally use a type of this procedure named for Golomb. Scalar or vector quantization are often used to accomplish this procedure. A greedy algorithm for this procedure minimizes the sum of weights times lengths of binary (*) code-words. A dictionary with a list of repeating
sequences is used in the four Lempel-Ziv algorithms for this task, which is also the goal of Huffman coding. Artifacts may be left by its lossy type, which is used in JPEGs. For 10 points, identify this task of encoding information to use less space.
ANSWER: information compression [or data compression, etc.; prompt on “coding” before mentioned]
BONUSES
1. Undesired Passerini products can be generated from a side-reaction when performing this reaction. For 10 points each: [10] Name this four-component reaction that utilizes a carboxylic acid, aldehyde, amine and isocyanate to synthesize
amides. It’s useful for generating diverse libraries of compounds.
ANSWER: Ugi reaction
[10] Amides are derivatives of this functional group that consists of a carbonyl carbon bonded to an alcohol.
ANSWER: carboxylic acid
[10] In the Hofmann rearrangement, this element and NaOH can be used to convert amides to primary amines. This element can be added to an alkene radically with NBS and gives M and M+2 peaks of the same size on a mass spec.
ANSWER: Bromine
2. Six actors, including Cate Blanchett, play facets of this musician in I’m Not There, in which his band blasts the audience
with machine guns before playing “Maggie’s Farm” at Newport Folk Festival. For 10 points each: [10] Name this singer-songwriter whose tours were the subject of D. A. Pennebaker’s documentaries Dont Look Back and Eat the Document. He wrote songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
ANSWER: Bob Dylan [or Robert Allen Zimmerman, though don’t let him hear you say that!]
[10] Martin Scorsese named his Dylan documentary, No Direction Home, from this song which asks a certain “Miss
Lonely,” “How does it feel?”
ANSWER: “Like a Rolling Stone”
[10] This four-word phrase ends each stanza of Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #21 & 35.” Dylan contends that it’s an
allusion to the Book of Acts, not a drug reference.
ANSWER: “Everybody must get stoned”
3. The hieroglyphs on this slab of “Green breccia” are largely indecipherable due to its use as a millstone. For 10 points
each: [10] Name this relic that was originally housed in the Great Temple of Ptah. Part of the legible hieroglyphs inscribed into this object declare the supremacy of Ptah, and describe him as the creator of everything.
ANSWER: the Shabaka Stone [or Shabaqo stone]
[10] The Great Temple of Ptah was located in this city. This city’s protective triad consisted of Ptah himself, along with
Sekhmet and Nefertem.
ANSWER: Memphis
[10] Though Ptah was sometimes depicted wearing the Atef crown, it is more typically seen atop the head of this god of the afterlife. This husband of Isis was chopped up into fourteen pieces by his malevolent brother Set.
ANSWER: Osiris
4. Answer the following about the traitorous general Wu Sangui, for 10 points each.
[10] Wu’s army fought against the forces of this rebel leader at the Battle of Shanhai Pass. This leader, known as the
“Dashing Prince,” sacked Beijing and gained the support of peasants by promising the abolition of grain taxes. ANSWER: Li Zicheng [prompt on partial answer]
[10] After Li’s defeat, Wu accepted the suzerainty of these people, but later rebelled against their Kangxi emperor.
ANSWER: Manchus [prompt on the Qing dynasty; do not accept “Jurchens”]
[10] Wu basically let the Manchus into China by allowing to get past this several-thousand-mile-long edifice, which was built to keep pesky northern ruffians like the Manchus out.
ANSWER: Great Wall of China [or Wanli Changcheng]
5. According to William Hazlitt, this character’s “only passion is thought.” For 10 points each: [10] Name this character, who delivers a speech in which he characterizes soldiers as “Full of strange oaths” and justice as “In fair round belly… with eyes severe, and beard of formal cut.”
ANSWER: Jaques (not a typo)
[10] Jaques delivers the “All the world’s a stage” speech in this Shakespeare play. Other characters in this play include the
fool Touchstone, the noble Orlando, and Rosalind, who disguises herself as Ganymede.
ANSWER: As You Like It
[10] As You Like It is set in a fictional version of this forest, which is located in Warwickshire County.
ANSWER: Forest of Arden
6. The Nazis planned to drain these marshes and their racially inferior inhabitants, but scuttled the plan due to fears of a dustbowl. For 10 points each: [10] Identify these vast marshes in Southern Belarus, which are found along a namesake river.
ANSWER: Pripyat marshes [or Pinsk marshes]
[10] The Pripyat marshes were one of the habitats of this last subspecies of wild horse to never be domesticated. Sometimes also known as the Dzungarian horse, this subspecies is commonly named for a Russian explorer.
ANSWER: Przewalski’s horse [or dagi; or takhi]
[10] Pripyat, a city near the marshes, became a ghost town when it was evacuated after this 1986 nuclear disaster.
ANSWER: Chernobyl disaster [accept anything involving Chernobyl]
7. Avastin was one of the first drugs approved to inhibit this process. For 10 points each: [10] Name this process in which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing ones. Tumors use this process to boost their growth, leading Judah Folkman to propose that inhibiting it could starve tumors.
